Coupling device for electronic apparatus



Dec. 30, 1947. N. ROCHESTER COUPLING DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC APPARATUS Filed Nov. 3, 1944 FIG. I

v INVENTOR. NATHANIAL ROCHESTER ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 30, 1947 COUPLING DEVICE FOR ELECTRONIC APPARATUS Nathaniel Rochester, South Hamilton, Mass., assignor to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., Salem, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 3, 1944, Serial No. 561,743

only be made in fine increments but the response to manipulation of the adjusting electrodes must be manually sensitive and must also be firm and free from looseness and backlash.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit for regulating the coupling characteristics between adjacent portions of an ultra high frequency system which is sensitive and stable in its response to adjustment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a current distribution unit having a mechanical adjustment in which all backlash is eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to providea device of the type suggested in which a predetermined degree of friction may be imparted to the adjusting means and maintained constant throughout the total range of its adjustment.

Other objects and features will appear more fully in the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view through a device embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-section on line 2-2 Figure 1;

and

Figure 3 is a sectional detail view illustrating a difierent embodiment of the invention.

The invention as herein described functions in connection with an ultra high frequency circuit and serves as an adjusting means for regulating the distribution of energy to various portions of the circuit. The invention may, however, be applied to other situations either in connection with micro-Wave circuits or any application where a smooth and stable adjustment is required.

The unit comprises a body or casing I of electrically conductive material having a plurality of coupling apertures to which are secured Wave guides for connection to various portions of the circuit. By way of example in the drawings the casing I is provided with a coupling aperture 2 to which a wave guide 3 is secured. The casin is also provided with the coupling apertures 4 2 Claims. (Cl. 178-44) and 5 to which are attached the wave guides 6 and I. The aperture 2 is connected to the apertures 4 and 5 by communicating channels 8 and 9.

' Current flowing into the aperture 2 from the wave guide 3 is divided and passes through channels 8 and 9 and emerges from the apertures 4 and 5 passing into the wave guides 6 and 1. Desirably means are provided for absorbing some of the energy at the junction of the channels I and 8 where the current divides. This is done to prevent detrimental reactive effect upon the circuit.

To accomplish the desired efiect a wedge shaped block I0 is inserted in the casing having an angularly disposed face II against which the main wave of current strikes and is partially the wall of the casing I and into the channels 8 and 9. Any suitable means may be provided. for mechanically adjusting their penetration into the casing. A desirable means for doing this is to provide screw threads I4 upon the electrodes and complementary threads in the casing wall. The elements project a substantial distance outward from the casing and their extended length is threaded desirably as a continuation of the adjusting threads I4. The additional threads being of the same pitch.

A plate I5 is provided with threaded apertures within which are received the outer threaded portion of the electrodes. The plate I5 is spaced from the casing I and is subjected to spring tension which acts to take up all looseness and backlash in the threaded connections between the electrodes and the casing and the electrodes and the plate l5. The spring tension may be obtained in any suitable manner. As shown in the drawings coiled compression springs I8 surround the electrodes and engage the casing at one end and the plate at their other ends.

Any desirable means may be supplied to adjust the elements. Their outer ends may be provided with squared heads for the application of a wrench or they may be provided with screw driver slots I9. By screwing the elements in or out greater or less coupling is obtained between the wave guide 3 and the wave guides 6 and I.

In operation as the elements are adjusted the plate I5 remains in fixed position since the elements travel through the plate I5 and the casing I at the same speed. Inasmuch as the plate remains stationary the spring tension remains constant throughout the total range of element adjustment.

By proper choice of spring size and thread pitch an adjustment may be constructed to fulfill any requirement. An adjustment made under the principles of the invention not only is accurate and sensitive in operation but by reason of the friction induced by the springs will retain its adjustment indefinitely. Moreover. the sensitivity of adjustmentwill remain constant at all positions of the elements a feature which is invaluable to an operator who is required to make extremely close adjustments.

The inventive principles above set fo'rthviare readily applied to a single coupling element as shown in Figure 3. In this; construction the element 20 is threaded throughlthe wall of theicas-l ing as in the construction liereinbefore described and is provided with a specialform. of friction plate 2| with which it has threaded engagement.

The plate 2| also has a slot .22 therein-withinwhich is received a stop pin 23 anchored in some fixed position as in the-casing l The pin :23-pre- :vents rotation of the plate '2! when the element isro-tatedtherebyinsuring that the tension of the spring 24 interposed between the casing and I the plate will remain constant. The construction shown in Figure 3 thus functions in 'thesame manner as that shown in Figures-l and 2.

What I claim is: .1. In-combination with an ultra high frequency circuit a'junction unitiinsaid circuit at'which "at least a portion-of the'wave field' is divided into a'plurality' of channels or in which multiple chan- 'nels are combined, comprising a metallic teasing I having a main wave-guide coupling apertureand a plurality of apertures for coupli-ng to-fsaid di-- vid'ed'circuit channels, conducting passages'*-between said apertures, interchannel coupling'elements projecting into saidpassages, means for adjusting the "degree of coupling inducedby'the elements friction means for maintaining the 6011-7 pling adjustment in each element against change and means for maintaining the degree of friction constant at all adjusted positions.

2. In combination with an ultra high fre- 5 quency apparatus having a wave guide system, a junction unit in which at least a portion of the current in the system is divided into a plurality of a: channelsxor multiple channels are combined, comprising a metallic casing having a plurality of ::apertures in the casing for coupling to separate Mcircuit channels, passages interconnecting said f;apertures;- interchannel coupling elements pro- 'jecting into said passages and having screw .wthreadsrzthereoncoacting with complementary '5 zthreads' inthe wall of said unit to provide adjustment fthereofa a lplate externally spaced from ...said unit having apertures threaded to the same "pitch as th'threa'd in said unit wall and through v:which isaid elements pass, expansion spring means between said unit and said plates acting ..;to. impose an invariable friction drag against r0- -.tation of saidelements throughout their adjustable range.

, .NATHANIEL ROCHES'IER.

REFERENCE S CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number i Name Date 2,103;515 Conklin Dec. 28,193? .2142630 Gonklin Jan; 3,1939 2242;404 Schussler May20,- 1941 2,328,561 Lavoie. --Sept. 7,1943 1 2,356,414 Linder Aug; 22,1944

' FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 40 116,110 Australia Nov. 19,- 1942 

